Improvement in belt-tighteners



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SEWELL E. JEWE'IT, OF HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS..

IMPROVEMENT IN BELT-TIGHTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15 1,705, dated June 9, 1874 application filed y May 13, 1874.

hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specication, and represented 1n the'accompanying drawings, of which- YA K Igure 1 is a top View, Fig. 2 a s ide elevation, Fig. 3 alongitudinal section, and Fig.

4an end view, of a belt-tension mechanism provided'with a safety-line, in accordance with my invention.

On the 22d day of July, A. D. 1873, Let- `ters Patent No..141,004, for a belt-tension apparatus were granted to me. 4I have combined With such mechanism or the equivalent thereof, as hereinafter described, and shown .in the accompanying drawings, a weighted line, so arranged that in case a person should be caught by one of the belts while in operation, and drawn upward or along by it, he may be carried against the line, or be able to grasp and pull it so as to effect the relief of the belt or belts from the force of tension, in order that by 'the slacking of such belt or belts, accident or injury to the person may be -prevented or avoided.

In my present belt-tension apparatus, I use a wheel and axle instead of the levers, as shown in my patented mechanism, and instead of a pendulous hanger, for supporting the shaft of the draft-mechanism pulleys, I employ a hanger to slide horizontally.

In the drawings, A denotes thedriving-pulley fixed on a shaft, B. From this pulley the drivin g-belt D extends to and about the pulley F fixed on a shaft, H, supported by the horizontally-sliding hanger I. There is fastened on the shaft H another pulley, G, about which, and the pulley C to be driven, the auxiliary belt E runs. From the sliding hanger two chains, c c, extend to the barrel d of a windlass, K, from the circumference of whose wheel e, a chain, j', depends, and carries a weight, g. The cha-in f may be lixed at its upper end to a pin simply inserted in a hole bored in the windlass-wheel down its periphery radially. To such pin or to the periphery of the wheel, the safety-line L is to be fastened, it being led through eyes h t', and across the belts, and provided with a weight, k,xed to it at its lower end, all being as shown.

It will be seen that the tension of the belts is effected by the action of the windlass, and itschains and weight upon the hanger, and that by turning back the windlass, or by detaching the weight depending therefrom,the belts will at once be relieved from tension. This can be eected by the safety-line, either by a person when caught by one of the belts being carried forcibly against the line, or by his pulling on it. As a safety device it is a valuable'addition to a belt-tension apparatus.

I claim- In combination with the belt-tension mechanism, substantially as described, the safetyline L, applied to the windlass-wheel and arranged with relation to the belts, as and for the purpose set forth.

` v SEWELL E. JEWETT.

Witnesses:

Unas. COEFIN,

DAVID B. TENNEY. 

